Human Suction Blister Fluid Composition Determined Using High-Resolution Metabolomics

Interstitial fluid
(ISF) surrounds the cells and tissues of the
body. Since ISF has molecular components similar to plasma, as well
as compounds produced locally in tissues, it may be a valuable source
of biomarkers for diagnostics and monitoring. However, there has not
been a comprehensive study to determine the metabolite composition
of ISF and to compare it to plasma. In this study, the metabolome
of suction blister fluid (SBF), which largely consists of ISF, collected
from 10 human volunteers was analyzed using untargeted high-resolution
metabolomics (HRM). A wide range of metabolites were detected in SBF,
including amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, and compounds of exogenous
origin. Various systemic and skin-derived metabolite biomarkers were
elevated or found uniquely in SBF, and many other metabolites of clinical
and physiological significance were well correlated between SBF and
plasma. In sum, using untargeted HRM profiling, this study shows that
SBF can be a valuable source of information about metabolites relevant
to human health.